Fares and ticketing on the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
Because the rail operators are government-assisted profit-based corporations, fares and ticketing on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system are currently aimed at least in breaking even to at least compensate for their costs of running the system. The rail operators collect fares by selling electronic tickets capable of storing data, the price of which is calculated based on the distance between the start and destination stations. These prices increase in fixed stages for standard non-concessionary travel. From the information that was earlier written in these tickets, it is possible to increase the fare according to increments based on approximate distances between stations. Stations on the MRT system are divided into two areas, paid and unpaid areas, which allows the rail operators to collect needed fares by restricting entry only through the fare gates, also known as access control gates. These gates, connected to a computer network, are able to read the electronic tickets, and can store information such as the amount of time taken per trip, and the start and destination stations of each trip. This allows the rail operators to collect fares based on this information. It is possible for passengers to extend a trip mid-journey, and pay the difference as they exit their destination station. Using distance-based prices is in contrast to use of fare zones by some other subway systems such as the London Underground. Singapore MRT uses the Travelcard zones to calculate fares and including fares on the MRT only. Zone 1 is the central and with a boundary just outside the Circle line is the Zone 2. Special zones do apply for outside Singapore area. Fares Note Children under the age of 4 and below the height of 0.9m travels for free. Children under the age of 7 can travel for free using a child concession card. Free travel (before 7.45am) and S$0.50 early travel rebate (7.45am - 8am) applies when a passenger taps the EZ-Link card at a fare gate at the station outside Zone 1 and taps out at the MRT Station in a Zone 1 area. The following stations have early travel rebates: *East West Line: Lavender, Bugis, City Hall, Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar, Outram Park *North South Line: Orchard, Somerset, Dhoby Ghaut, City Hall, Raffles Place, Marina Bay *North East Line: Outram Park, Chinatown, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut *Circle Line: Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Bayfront, Marina Bay *Downtown Line: Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront, Downtown, Telok Ayer, Chinatown For those who are touring the Punggol LRT and Sengkang LRT loops, a minimum fare of $0.83 for adults and $0.38 for students applies. For the Tuas West Extension, distance fares only takes into account to the alighting station (the time limit is not imposed) due to the lower demand west of Joo Koon. For example, if you are taking all the way to Tuas Link and towards Joo Koon, distance fares for the alighting station (Joo Koon) applies. There is no extra admin fee of $2 imposed. 1: Only for school smartcards, Diploma Student EZ-Link and ITE Student EZ-Link Card only. Undergraduates have to pay adult fares, as more than 90% of the undergraduates are eligible voters. Ticketing :Main articles: EZ-Link, NETS, and CEPAS Tickets Contactless smart cards replaced their magnetic ticket predecessors completely on 1 December 2002, making Singapore one of the first cities to implement contactless smart card payment on all the main modes of public transportation, along the likes of Hong Kong. The ticketing system uses the EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay contactless smart cards based upon the Symphony for e-Payment (SeP) system for public transit built on the Singapore Standard for Contactless ePurse Application (CEPAS) system. This system allows for up to 4 card issuers in the market. The EZ-Link card was introduced on 13 April 2002 as a replacement to the original TransitLink farecard while its competitor the NETS FlashPay card entered the smart card market on 9 October 2009. Stored Value Card An adult EZ-Link card may be purchased for S$12 (inclusive of a S$5 non-refundable card cost and a S$7 credit) for payment of public transportation fares in Singapore. The card may be purchased at any TransitLink Ticket Office or Passenger Service Centre. The card may also be used for payment of goods and services at merchants displaying the "EZ-Link" logo, Electronic Road Pricing tolls and Electronic Parking System carparks. Additional credit may be purchased at any General Ticketing Machine (GTM), Add Value Machine (AVM), TransitLink Ticket Office, Passenger Service Centre, AXS Station, DBS/POSB Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), online via a card reader purchased separately or selected merchants. Additional credit of a predetermined value may also be automatically purchased whenever the card value is low via an automatic recharge service provided by Interbank GIRO or through a manual application at the TransitLink Ticket Office or credit card online. The NETS FlashPay card may be purchased at all TransitLink Ticket Offices at MRT stations, retail points such as 7-Eleven stores, Cheers and Fairprice Xpress as well as iNETS Kiosks. It can be used for the payment of public transportation fares in Singapore and at merchants displaying the "NETS FlashPay" logo. Adult Monthly Travel Pass An Adult Monthly Travel Pass for unlimited travel on the MRT, LRT and buses may also be purchased, and it is non-refundable. Standard Ticket First generation Standard Ticket A Standard Ticket contactless smart card for single trips may also be purchased between S$2 and S$4 (inclusive of a S$1 refundable card deposit)for the payment of MRT and LRT fares. The card may be only purchased at the GTM. The deposit may also be retrieved by returning the card to the GTM within 30 days from the date of issue or donated to charity by depositing it in a collection box at any station. This card cannot be recharged with additional credit. Second generation Standard Ticket A paper-based Standard Ticket contactless smart card for single/return trips may be purchased between S$1.10 and S$7 (inclusive of a S$0.10 refundable card deposit) for the payment of MRT and LRT fares. The card may only be purchased at the GTM. Unlike the first generation Standard Ticket, this second generation Standard Ticket can be recharged with additional credit for up to 6 trips within 30 days from the date of issue. The deposit will be refunded upon recharging the card for the third trip at the GTM. A further S$0.10 rebate will be given upon recharging the card for the sixth and final trip at the GTM. Credit purchased for the single/return trips must be used on the same day of purchase. For commuters who purchased credit for the return trip, but did not return to the original station on the 'return trip', they can top up the fare difference at the destination station if the purchased credit is less than value of the trip. Singapore Tourist Pass A Singapore Tourist Pass and 7 Singapore Pass contactless smart card may be purchased from S$10 (inclusive of a S$10 refundable card deposit and a 3-day pass) for the payment of public transportation fares including sightseeing bus routes under Singapore Ducktours. The card may be purchased at selected TransitLink Ticket Offices, LTA Kiosks, Passenger Service Centres and Singapore Visitors Centres, and can be refunded at both TransitLink Ticket Offices and Passenger Service Centres. Contactless Contactless Visa, AMEX and MasterCard debit and credit cards issued in Singapore, as well as contactless enabled smartphones and smartwatches such as Apple Pay and Android Pay, are accepted for travel in the Singapore MRT, Singapore Overground, the LRT, buses and tram services. Operation of the system is exactly the same as the EZ-Link card, although customers should tap the card on the validation devices (entry/exit gates, passenger validators) at the start and the end of the journey to ensure that the correct fare is paid. Only adult, non-discount fares are available on contactless payment cards. Unlike the EZ-Link card (where the stored value held on the card is adjusted as the passenger taps the card as they enter/exit stations or board buses), transactions made with the contactless payment cards are processed by the central processing system. The total charge of all travel accured throughout the day is settled overnight, meaning that the customer will see one transaction for each day in which they have been incurred in the credit card or bank card statement. Daily travel charges are settled directly against the customers debit or credit card account, no topping up is incurred. Access Control Gates Access control gates found in Singapore's MRT and LRT stations have evolved in design & features over the years. 4 different series of gates have been used in the MRT stations, and also different faregates have been used in LRT stations. All series of these gates are still working side by side in the MRT system, although the 2 oldest generations of these gates in the MRT stations have their faregates beginning to be removed starting from March 2010 and completed by October 2014. First generation gates The first generation faregates are made by Cubic. It originally accepted the now defunct magnetic farecard, and was upgraded to accept contactless smartcards in 2002. The VFG fare information display was slanted at an angle for some units. Some of the faregates are in the older text; while some had been upgraded to the newer text. It is already been phased out with the exception of Pioneer and Joo Koon stations. Some of them originally had their older text which is those between 1987 and 1990. Second generation gates The second generation faregates are made by ST Electronics. It originally accepted the now defunct magnetic farecard, and was upgraded to accept contactless smartcards in 2002. The VFD fare information display slanted at an angle for all units; and had LED front entry/exit only display. It is already been phased out. Third generation gates These are the standard sized gates you would normally see at every station. Each gate features Sony and CEPAS contactless smart card readers and 2 central retractable flaps. They are also ergonomically designed & made of stainless steel. Furthermore, they also feature a 6.5 inch LCD/TFT monitor which is used to display information about the ticket used by the passenger passing through the gate, as well as LED displays which show the operating status of the gate (whether it is for entry or exit). It is located at all NEL stations, Sengkang LRT, Punggol East LRT, and CCL stations, the production orders have been ended in 2011. Turnstile faregates Turnstile faregates are for Bukit Panjang LRT, which originally accepted magnetic farecards. It was upgraded to accept stored value cards in 2002. It will be replaced by TITAN in 2016. Fourth and TITAN generation gates The fourth generation "Titan" gates will eventually replace the first and second generation gates that have been in use for over 20 years. These new gates will be 10% more energy efficient with low energy LED displays, LCD displays and servo-motors. The faregates are much smaller and wider compared to the two types of old gates. They will also be able to differentiate between human and inanimate objects, as there is no more green arrow and red cross signs, all of which replaced by illuminated bars. Red pin-holed sensors are removed, replaced by black plastic. It also makes low-buzzing sounds when there is error. Fifth generation gates The fifth generation "Thales" faregates are located at new Downtown Line stations. The main difference from the other gates is that it uses glass flaps that swing instead of the usual retractable red flaps. First generation wide gates * For Expo MRT Station, it originally accepts the magnetic farecards until it was removed by May 2003. * Accepts only contactless smart cards for all faregates * LED front entry/exit only display * Fare information Liquid Crystal Display * Ergonomically designed * Applies to all the EWL and NSL stations that are built before 2002. Second generation wide gates Each gate features contactless smart card readers capable of reading type A, B and FeliCa cards and 2 central retractable flaps. They are also ergonomically designed & made of stainless steel. Furthermore, they also feature a 6.5 inch LCD/TFT monitor which is used to display information about the ticket used by the passenger passing through the gate, as well as LED displays which show the operating status of the gate (whether it is for entry or exit). These gates were designed for passengers with bulky luggage, prams, in wheelchairs or those who are disabled to use. These gates are much wider than the standard ones & feature 2 double retractable flaps. There will always be at least 1 in every station. For Changi Airport, because it serves airport passengers who are likely to carry bulky hand luggage, all gates at this station are of the wide gate variety. Since the opening of Changi Airport, all faregates originally had a metal hole for the magnetic farecard until it was removed by May 2003. It applies to all stations that are built after 2002. TITAN generation wide gates All stations that are built after 2012 into the existing lines have the same features as TITAN, except with their premium-sized version for wheelchairs. Orchard and Jurong East stations have fitted with second generation wide gates. Third generation wide gates The third generation wide gates is by Thales and it applies for the Downtown Line stations only. Cronos Faregates Designed with wide aisle gates, they promote independent access and passage for wheelchair-bound customers, the elderly, children and travellers with luggage. It is modern and uniquely contoured top cover design and intuitive lane guides provide enhanced visibility. Located at all Bukit Panjang LRT stations. Ticketing Machines In the early years, single trip magnetic tickets were purchased at Ticket Vending Machines with coins only, that can push button to select fare, the Integrated Ticketing Machines for Bukit Panjang LRT, the Touch Screen Ticket Vending Machine for touching the screen. Notes could be broken up into small change at a separate change machine. Those holding magnetic multi trip farecards could only reload their cards with additional credit at manual service counters or a separate Add Value Machine. The Add Value Machine (AVM) originally accepts magnetic farecards, and was upgraded to EZ-Link cards in 2002. It accepts reload of card credit via NETS only. Later on, it was upgraded to Add Value Machine Plus (AVM+) for NSEWL stations and Top Up Machines for other stations since 2013. Prior to the standardization of general ticketing machines in 2002, the ticket vending machine also allows pushing button to select fare and accepts coins only. There are also integrated ticketing machines and touch screen ticket vending machine. The general ticketing machines allows the passenger to top-up stored value cards, through NETS or contactless credit and debit cards, and apply for the automatic reload service through GIRO or VISA. Passengers can also purchase a standard ticket in cash (coins and notes), obtain a refund on their standard ticket deposit, check the value remaining in their EZ-Link Cards and view their past card transactions. General Ticketing Machines in all stations support the following languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The upgrade to the ticketing machines is part of the Investment Programme by LTA. General Ticketing Machines General Ticketing Machines by Ascom (2002–2013) * Passenger selects destination station on a touch sensitive rail map and fare is automatically calculated * For all EWL/NSL and CCL stations * EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay card is placed on an external reader to be read General Ticketing Machines by Cubic (2003–2013) * Passenger selects destination station on a touch sensitive rail map and fare is automatically calculated * For all NEL stations * EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay card is placed on an external reader to be read General Ticketing Machines (2013-current) * Upgraded from the original Cubic and Ascom GTM * Passenger selects destination station on a navigational rail map and fare is automatically calculated * For all stations * EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay card is placed on an external reader to be read Penalty Fares and Fare Evasion In addition to the automatic and staffed faregates at stations, the Underground also operates on a proof-of-payment system. The network is sometimes patrolled by the uniformed staff who mainly stay at the faregates, and very occasionally by plainclothes fare inspectors equipped with hand-held EZ-Link card readers. Passengers travelling without a ticket valid for their entire journey are sometimes required to pay a $50 penalty fare or face prosecution for fare evasion. EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay pre-pay users who have failed to 'tap in' at the start of their journey are also considered to be travelling without a valid ticket and are liable to a penalty fare if caught; otherwise they are charged the maximum fare upon touching out at the destination station. Touts at stations can often be seen attempting to resell used Standard Tickets that they have been given by passengers who no longer need them. Transport for Singapore strongly discourage this, officially stating that Travelcards are 'non-transferable' and thus invalid if resold. Underground staff and inspectors have the authority to confiscate tickets that they know to have been resold and to require a passenger using such a ticket to pay a penalty fare, although this is rare in practice since proving a ticket has been resold can be a difficult and time-consuming process. External Links *Fares and Ticketing Category:Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)